Talents Calendar 

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“When I am all grown up, I will play for Barcelona.” It is undoubtedly a sentence that quite a few football-interested kids have said. Shane Kluivert, the youngest son of former Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert, said it when he was only six on his Instagram channel. Today, 11 years later, he isn’t far removed from fulfilling his dream. 

The 17-year-old plays in the Spanish top club’s youth academy, following in his father’s footsteps. Kluivert senior had a decisive role in the development of his son. Not only did he pass on his football genetics—which he passed on to all four sons—Justin Kluivert, Quincy Kluivert, and Ruben Kluivert all managed to turn professional—but also his media training. 

Even though Shane is still awaiting his debut for the senior team, a media circus has surrounded him for some time. In 2017, when he was only nine, Shane signed a contract with Nike. Because his father, Patrick, posted a photo of the contract signing on his social media account, international media picked up the story. The top talent Shane became his brand, very much like it was the case for Xavi Simons during his youth. 

Over 100,000 people followed Kluivert Jr. on Instagram then; today, it is around 350,000. When Shane was eight, his family used to post videos of him cooking on a now inactive YouTube channel. Two cookbooks followed, which are now being sold on his Facebook account, which has 1.2 million followers. 

Kids’ involvement in social media is a complex and controversial topic, and Simons, for example, was heavily criticized for his presence. But from a sporting perspective, it hasn’t harmed either the current Leipzig star or Shane Kluivert, who seems to have forged his own path. That path was accompanied by his father, Patrick. After kicking off his youth career in the Netherlands, Kluivert joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 after his father became the sporting director at the club. After one season, that chapter was closed, and a move to Barcelona was facilitated.

Shane Kluivert: Barcelona talent likes to play inverted 

Even though he hasn’t broken into the senior team yet, it only seems like a matter of time until that moment happens. Kluivert features regularly for the Dutch junior national team and Barca’s U18. “Shane Kluivert is a typical right-footed player featuring on the left wing,” agent Andrea Orland from By and For Sport Management and former Barca academy player said. “He is small, very fast, and an agile player. He often tries to get into one-v-one situations and has a good finish. Like many wingers, he often tries to cut to the middle and target the far post.” 

At what point Kluivert will be allowed to show his skills with the first team remains to be seen. Hansi Flick already debuted Gerard Martín (22), Sergi Domínguez (19) and Andrés Cuenca. Simons too, had to make a detour via PSV Eindhoven. If it doesn’t work out, Kluivert can kickstart a career as an influencer or cook.

From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2007 and 2008. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.